The diesel fumes spray into our faces leaving behind a filmy residue on our sweaty skin. The wind from the herk-and-jerk of the vehicle feels nearly refreshing after walking in the sun all day. I close my eyes. Pop music, probably Thai, jingles from a radio in the cockpit. It obviously entertains the driver who dodges in between buses like they are enormous boulders that would do him no harm. Abram and I bounce around in the backseat, holding onto whatever sturdy piece of metal happens to be closest. It's surprisingly roomy. But I hope we get there soon. We're riding in a Tuk-Tuk.

Planes, trains, boats, automobiles -- what class does a Tuk-Tuk fit in? It looks a bit like a motorbike mated with an icecream stand. Half cycle, half car. Half efficient, half dangerous. But the Tuk-Tuk is here to stay: it makes up a necessary part of the Bangkok transportation system.

Let us give you an overview of our travel vehicles since landing here yesterday.

1) THE MRT or "Metro Rapid Transit": This is Bangkok's subway system. It's shockingly clean for such a dirty city. Flat LCDs hanging off of the of the supporting columns play the latest music videos. Granite floors, steel and glass make up a typical MRT station here. When the train arrives a blast of cold air-conditioned air welcomes you inside. The tickets are priced based on destination and we never paid more than 25 Baht (about 40 cents). Bangkok has only two MRT lines, so the destinations are somewhat limited. In fact, heading anywhere in the city will require that you employ a few of the other modes of transport.

2) EXPRESS RIVER BUS: The express river boat is definitely a craft that plies a body of water, but calling it express would be a possible misnomer, and it is a boat only in the dictionary sense of the word. One lines up at a pier in the midst of a Chinese market or at the end of a street to wait for the craft (most of the piers are actually quite well demarcated). As the boat nears, a toot of the porter's whistle is heard, and the 50-foot sleek wooden hulled vessel lunges toward you, slamming into the pier, and then bouncing back toward the river. The skilled pilot throws the diesels into reverse, it bangs once more into the pier, and then a frantic wave of people dismount and board in a time span of about three seconds trying not to get crushed between the boat and the pier or missing the pier and falling into the black murk. Once aboard, the engines are full throtled, shooting a spray of water and diesel exhaust into the river, and forcing the passengers inside to avoid the spray of the lovely river onto one's fine linen apparel. The ride is quite pleasant, costing only about 8 baht (20 cents) to naviagate through 8 piers to the heart of the downtown, and affording a cool rest while enjoying the view from the river. In one of the world's most overcrowded cities, utilizing water transport is a brilliant idea.

3) BUS: Abram and I (luckily) did not have to use the bus system. It looked like some of the buses were air-conditioned. Every bus we saw was packed to the gills with passengers. We'd rather walk, thanks.

4) TUK-TUK: Riding the tuk-tuk was one of those "We're in Bangkok" experiences. It had to be done. My favourite aspect is that you are able to negotiate the price up front with the driver. We were traveling from the Grand Palace up to the Teak Mansion -- a distance of approximately 3 miles. I hailed down one Tuk-Tuk and started my negotiating at 40 baht. He started at 200. We couldn't agree on a price, so he drove off. A similar story played through for the next two that we hailed down. Finally, we found a driver willing to get us there for 80 baht (about $2). He had a deal.

5) TAXI: Finding transportation right after you land is the same in most developing countries. When you arrive at the Bangkok International Airport, you are immediately assaulted. "Need a taxi?!" "I give ride you to city. 500 baht." "Air conditioned Mercedes -- you come here." We had checked with some experienced FlyerTalkers and knew that the best deal was the most honest one. The official taxi stand is right outside the doors in the arrival lounge. Tell the attendant where you want to go, and hop in a cab. It is essential that you insist the cab driver use the meter. He will protest profusely and do everything he can to negotiate a price with you. Hold your ground! It should cost about 150 baht (about $3.80) to ride in these Toyota Corollas into town. Take the driver up on his offer to use the expressway, and provide him with 70 baht in cash for the tolls. With a zip and a zoom, you'll find yourself in the heat of Bangkok.

6) BTS SKYTRAIN: John and I both marvelled at the amazing engineering and efficiency of the elevated rail line. Traversing a path along many of the tourist destinations, the skytrain is comparable to some of the world's finest metro rail systems; the only problem is that it consists only of two lines that cross somewhere in the middle. One only has two options for getting into the old city center via the skytrain: either take a line to Hua Lamphong and walk throught the mayhem of Chinatown, or take a line to the end of the line, walk along the covered walkway to Central Pier, and then take the water taxi up 8 stops to either pier 8 or 9. We consistently chose the latter. The fare is a bit steeper than the MRT, but the view of parts of the city is quite exraordinary and it is a nice way to escape Bangkok's smog for a short duration.

And so it is for transportation in the City of Angels. Between those six options, Abram and I got almost everywhere worth getting to in the city cheaply. A little walking and waiting is always required, but the air-conditioning (whether industrial or natural) is a cooling respite from the humid air.